Wall-mounted pivotable flow-directing assembly

ABSTRACT

An assembly adapted for mounting on a wall of a pool or the like for directing the flow of water thereinto includes a socket portion defining a generally spherical chamber and a generally spherical flow-directing member seated therein. The flowdirecting member has an axial passageway and is pivotable in the chamber to position the passageway between the inlet and outlet openings of the chamber in a multiplicity of angular attitudes to control the direction of flow. A resilient gasket in the chamber has a circular aperture therein which is configured and dimensioned to snugly seat the flow-directing member to restrain movement thereof and form a seal therewith.

United States Patent Inventors Joseph Diemond Simsbury; Melvin Y.Gershman, West Hartford, Conn.; Fred A. Ravreby, Framingham, Mas

Apr. 10, 1969 May 11, 1971 Coleco Industries, Inc. Hartford, Conn.

Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee WALL-MOUNTED PIVOTABLE FLOW- DIRECTINGASSEMBLY 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 137/592, 4/172.17, 239/284 Int. Cl E04h 3/16 Fleldof Search137/592; 4/172. 17, 172.19; 239/499, 265.35, 601; 98/40 2 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,755,729 7/1956 Galbraith et al.98/40(A) 2,885,943 5/ 1959 Divizia 98/40(A) 3,008,649 11/1961 Bock etal. 239/284 3,067,955 12/1962 Heath 239/284X 3,320,623 5/1967 DAntonio,Sr. 4/ 172.19

Primary Examiner-William R. Cline Attorney-Peter L. Costas ABSTRACT: Anassembly adapted for mounting on a wall of a pool or the like fordirecting the flow of water thereinto includes a socket portion defininga generally spherical chamber and a generally spherical flow-directingmember seated therein. The flow-directing member has an axial passagewayand is pivotable in the chamber to position the passageway between theinlet and outlet openings of the chamber in a multiplicity of angularattitudes to control the direction of flow. A resilient gasket in thechamber has a circular aperture therein which is configured anddimensioned to snugly seat the flowdirecting member to restrain movementthereof and form a seal therewith.

PIVOTABLE FLOW-DIRECTING ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Inswimming pools and the like a need exists for a device whichmay bereadily adjusted to vary the direction of the flow of water enteringthereinto. Such directional control is desirable to provide a propercirculation pattern of the water within the pool for most efiicientfiltration, to direct the flow of water against the bottom of the poolto agitate accumulations of sediment or sand and suspend the matter soas to facilitate its removal, and to permit entering cold water to bedirected against the side of the swimming pool to minimize thediscomfort to bathers using it.

Although devices for this purpose are currently available, they areoften inconvenient to'manipulate for alteration of the direction of flowand sometimes require partial disassembly or a loosening of the elementsthereof for that purpose. Secondly, the means of engagement providedtherein frequently requires relative rotation of the parts, which, whena thin flexible element is present, such as gaskets and the type ofplastic liners generally provided in above ground swimming pools,crimping or wrinkling can occur which tends to result in leakage fromthe pool. Thirdly, the seals which are formed internally are often notsufficiently watertight or of the most desirable type so that undue wearmay often occur.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide aflow-directing assembly which is relatively simple in construction andwhich requires relatively few parts, thus making it economical tomanufacture.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such an assemblywherein the effectiveness of the seals formed both internally and withthe pool structure in which it is mounted are of a high order ofeffectiveness and durability.

Another object is to provide an assembly of the type described whereinthe parts thereof are engageable without relative rotation to avoidcrimping or wrinkling of thin, flexible elements adjacent thereto suchas a pool liner.

Still another object is to provide such an assembly wherein the angularattitude of the flow passage can be readily altered without disassemblyor loosening of the elements of the device, while at the same timeproviding and maintaining highly effective sealing action.

WALL-MOUNTED SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that theforegoing and related objects can be readily attained in aflow-directing assembly comprising-a housing having a socket portiondefining a generally spherical chamber with opposed inlet and outletopenings thereto. A generally spherical flow-directing member is seatedin the chamber and has an axial passageway therethrough with an outletend smaller than the outlet opening of the chamber. The flow-directingmember is pivotably seated in the chamber to position the passagewaythereof between the inlet and outlet openings in a multiplicity ofangular attitudes relative to the axis between the centers of the inletand outlet openings to control the direction of flow of fluid throughthe socket portion.

The assembly also includes a resilient gasket retained in the socketportion and projecting into the chamber, and the gasket has a circularaperture in which the flow-directing member is seated. The aperture ofthe gasket and the flowdirecting member are cooperatively dimensionedand configured to provide snug seating of the member within the gasketduring operation of the assembly, whereby the frictional contacttherebetween in operation will restrain the pivotal movement of themember and provide an effective seal therebetween.

Generally, the assembly will be adapted for mounting in an apertureprovided in the sidewall of a swimming pool or like structure, and theassembly will include means about the periphery of the housing forengaging the sidewall and mounting the assembly thereon. Preferably, thehousing has a front LII section providing the outlet opening and adaptedfor mounting on the inside of the sidewall and a rear section providingthe inlet opening and adapted for mounting on the outside of thesidewall. Both of these sections have complementary peripheral flangesfor contact with opposite surfaces of the sidewall about the aperturetherein, and'a plurality of fastening members extend axially through theflanges and the sidewall to mount the sections on the sidewall.

Preferably, a pair of gaskets is provided to lie adjacent each surfaceof the sidewall and extend radially between the peripheral flanges onthe housing at the intended points of engagement with the sidewall, soas to form a seal thereat. Most desirably, the peripheral flanges havecircumferential bosses extending towards each other on the surfacesmountable adjacent the sidewall, and these bosses provide pressurepoints acting on the gasket to enhance the effectiveness of the sealwith the sidewall. The inlet end of the axial passageway. through theflow-directing member should be larger than the outlet end thereof andalso larger than the inlet opening to the chamber to provide optimumoperating characteristics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a fragmentary frontelevational view of a flowdirecting assembly embodying the presentinvention as DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Turningfirst in detail to the components of the assembly as illustrated in theexploded view of FIG. 3 of the appended drawing, the flow-directingassembly has a housing formed of an outer section and an inner sectiongenerally designated by the numerals I0 and 28 respectively. The outersection I0 has a socket portion 12 with an internal surface of sphericalconfiguration as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 and an annular flange 14extends radially outwardly about the inner end thereof. Projectingaxially inwardly from the flange 14 are inner and outer annular bossesl6 and I8, and a multiplicity of holes 20 are spaced about the web ofthe flange 14 between the bosses I6, 18. Extending axially outwardlyfrom the outer end of the socket portion 12 is a cylindrical hoseextension or coupling 24 and the inlet opening 26 is defined by thejuncture thereof with the inner surface of the socket portion 12.

The annular section 28 of the housing has a socket portion 29 largelydefined by the internal contour of the lip 30 which extends about theaperture therethrough, and the outlet opening 32 of the socket portion29 is defined by the outer end of the lip 30. The internal surface ofthe socket portion 29 is generally spherical with a radius essentiallyequal to that of the spherical surface of the socket portion 12. As inthe case of the outer section 10, the inner section has an annularflange 34 extending about the inner end thereof with concentric innerand outer annular bosses 36 and 38 which extend axially from the innersurface thereof as is best seen in FIG. 4. A multiplicity of holes 40are provided in the web of the flange 34 between the bosses 36, 38 inalignment with the holes 20 in the flange 14 of the outer section 10 sothat the sections can be assembled in a manner to be described morefully hereinafter.

A pair of annular gaskets having a multiplicity of holes 46 spacedcircumferentially thereabout are positioned adjacent the outer section10 and inner section 28 respectively, and the holes 46 are aligned withthe holes 20, 40 in the flanges 14, 34. A flow-directing member oreyeball 50 having a generally spherical external contour is providedwith an axial passageway 52 therethrough. As is best seen in FIG. 4, the

passageway 52 tapers to a reduced diameter from the inlet end thereof,and an inwardly projecting lip 53 at the outlet end thereof provides aconstricted outlet 54. The threaded fasteners or bolts 56 extend throughthe holes 20, 40 and 46 to hold the parts of the flow-directing assemblytogether, and are secured therein by the nuts 58.

Turning now in detail to the assembly thereof upon the wall of aswimming pool or the like, the several FIGS. fragmentarily illustrate atype of aboveground pool which is widely employed and which has acorrugated metal sidewall 64 and a water-containing flexible syntheticplastic liner 66 on the inner surface thereof Both the sidewall 64 andthe liner 66 are provided with holes 60 corresponding to the holes 20,40 and 46 in the elements of the flowdirecting assembly and thefasteners 56 extend therethrough. In addition, the sidewall 64 and liner66 are provided with large apertures 62 which correspond with theapertures 48 in the gaskets 44 although they are of slightly largerdimension.

In assembling the device upon the sidewall 64, the outer section isassembled with one of the gaskets 44 with the holes and 46 thereof inalignment and is then placed against the outside surface of the sidewall64 over the aperture 62 therein and in alignment with the holes 60. Theinner section 28 is similarly assembled with a gasket 44 and the eyeball50 is inserted into the apertures 48 of the gaskets 44 as the innersection 28 is placed over the aperture 62 in the liner 66 with the holesthereof in alignment with the holes 60 of the liner 66. The fasteners 56are inserted through the inner section 28 and extend through the outersection 10; tightening of the nuts 58 secures the elements of the devicein assembly on the sidewall 64 and causes the bosses l6, 18 of the outersection 10 and the bosses 34, 36 of the inner section 28 to bear againstthe gaskets 44 to provide tight sealing action against the liner 66 andsidewall 64 respectively.

As assembled, the outer and inner section 10, 28 of the housing providea generally spherical chamber 68 in which the eyeball S0 is seated forpivotal movement. The gaskets 44 project inwardly of the chamber 68intermediate the axial length thereof and the surfaces thereofcircumscribing the apertures 48 therein bear against the surface of theeyeball 50 to form a fluidtight seal therewith. Moreover, the frictionalcontact therebetween allows the eyeball 50 to be positioned firmly in amultiplicity of angular attitudes relative to the axis between thecenters of the inlet and outlet openings 26, 54, thus enabling controlof the direction of flow of water therethrough relative to the sidewall64 upon pivoting thereof by insertion of a finger or tool into the lip53 of the eyeball 50.

To complete the assembly of the device with the elements of the pool, ahose or the like (not shown) is attached to the coupling 24 from thefilter or pump (not shown). In operation, the water will flow from thesource through the coupling 24 and into the spherical chamber 68. Thenceit will enter into the passageway 52 of the eyeball and be dischargedthrough the outlet 54 thereof in a constricted and higher velocitystream in the angular attitude relative to the sidewall 64 of the pooldetermined by the manner in which the eyeball is pivoted. The flow maybe directed against the sidewall 64 and liner 66 of the pool if theentering stream is cold to avoid discomfort to the bathers or tofacilitate removal of scum therefrom or it may be directed against thebottom of the pool to agitate and suspend any matter that may haveaccumulated thereat.

The configuration and dimensions of the housing for the assembly are notcritical so long as they provide an interior chamber suitablydimensioned and configured to allow the flow-directing member to bepivotably mounted therein. Since the flow-directing member is to pivotabout both a horizontal and a vertical axis, and preferablysubstantially universally therein, the configuration required for thecooperating surfaces of the chamber and the flow-directing member isgenerally spherical so that the interior chamber may be convenientlyreferred to as socketlike.

Although the configuration of the flow-directing member may vary fromthatillustrated, it should in all cases conform externally fairlyclosely in configuration and dimensions to the chamber in the housing.However, one of the outstanding benefits of the invention resides inthat'fact that the flowdirecting member need not be dimensioned forclose-fitting contact with the inside wall of the housing definingchamber as is necessary in certain prior art devices to prevent leakagearound the flow'directing member and to maintain it in a selectedposition; rather, in the instant assembly, the gasket which is retainedin the chamber serves both of those functions.

The passageway through the flow-directing member must have an outlet endwhich is smaller than the outlet opening of the chamber since theattitude of the passageway would otherwise have little or no effect onthe direction of flow from the assembly. Although the passageway mayhave a uniform cross section, preferably it is larger at the inlet endand tapers toward the outlet, and most desirably the inlet end of thepassageway is larger than both the outlet end thereof and also the inletto the chamber. A passageway having an inlet end larger than the chamberinlet maximizes the flow rate and reduces the possibility of waterflowing about the flow-directing member rather than through thepassageway as the flowdirecting member is angularly oriented. Providingthe flow passageway with a relatively small outlet end increases theforce of water issuing therefrom to enhance the agitation effectedthereby; a passageway such as that illustrated, which tapers to theoutlet is particularly advantageous since it im proves flow andmaximizes that effect. The outlet end of the flow-directing memberpreferably projects through the outlet opening of the chamber for readyaccess and maximum directional control. v

A most important feature of the assembly described herein is theprovision of at least one flexible gasket which extends within theinterior chamber and which must have an aperture which is dimensioned toconform closely to the surface of the flow-directing member seatedtherein during operation of the device. This relationship may beprovided by designing the flow-directing member and gasket so that thediameter of the cross section of the flow-directing member in the planeof the aperture is at least as large as the diameter of the aperture oreven slightly larger. However, since the material used for the gasketmay, in some instances, have a tendency to swell during use, theaperture may initially be somewhat larger than the corresponding sectionof the flow-directing member. It should be appreciated that the gasketneed not be positioned to engage the center of the flow-directingmember, but may be positioned to either side of its horizontalcenterline, in which case the aperture through the gasket will generallybe smaller than the diameter of the flow-directing member.

Although a single gasket may be employed, the assembly most desirablyincludes a pair of gaskets which extend outwardly of the socket portionto provide a seal against the sidewall of the stnicture in which it ismounted. Most effective protection against leakage from the area aroundthe assembly is provided by a peripheral or circumferential flange onthe housing which bears against such an outwardly extending gasketportion to from a tight seal with the sidewall. The efficiency of theseal is further enhanced by providing annular bosses or ribs on theflanges which tend to localize the force exerted by the fastening meansthereon on limited contact areas between the sidewall and gasket aboutthe opening in the sidewall, thus creating greater sealing contactpressure to resist water passage and leakage.

Although the type of flange heretofore illustrated and described is ahighly desirable structure for mounting the parts of the assembly on thesidewall, other mounting means may be substituted therefor as will beapparent to those skilled in the art. The type of fastening means ormembers employed will depend upon the design of the mounting means, butit is highly desirable to utilize members which can be used to assemblethe parts by axial movement only of the two housing sections rather thanby rotating such sections against the sidewall or a gasket, such as isthe case when the sections of the assembly are interengaged by threadedportions thereon. For example,

if the front section and rear section of the assembly illustrated.

were provided with cooperating threaded surfaces by which they werejoined, at least one of the sections would have to be turned against theflexible liner employed or a gasket, which would tend to wrinkle orcrimp theadjacent element which, in turn, would tend to cause leakage.Moreover, threaded sections require that a sealant be applied to thethreads as a further safeguard against leakage, and this requirement isalso somewhat less desirable.

The fastening means may be bolts inserted through holes in the assemblyand the sidewall and secured by nuts; alternatively, pins, screws,rivets, and the like may be substituted therefor, and it should beunderstood that reference herein to restricting relative rotation iswith regard to the sections of the assembly, and not-with regard to thefastening means employed therewith.

The parts of the assembly may be constructed of various materials, butmost desirably the housing sections are made of a durable, rigidsynthetic plastic such as polyethylene, polypropylene,styrene/acrylonitrile/butadiene graft polymer blends, polyamides,polycarbonate, etc. Such materials may be readily fabricated and providethe characteristics necessary for proper operation. The gasket should bemade of a resilient material which is also durable enough to bearcontinuously upon the flow-directing member without undue permanentdistortion or wear thereof to form a seal thereat and restrain itsmovement. Natural or synthetic rubber or other resins may be suitable,either per se or as impregnants for a fiber matrix. All of the parts ofthe assembly should be unaffected by water, although the gasket maydesirably swell somewhat to enhance the surface engagement with theflow-directing member.

To assemble the device illustrated in the sidewall of a conventionalaboveground swimming pool, it is only necessary to drill holes in themetal wall thereof for the fastening members, to cut an aperture for theflow-directing member, and to cut the plastic liner to correspondthereto. Preferably an adhesive or cement is applied between the steelwall and the plastic.

liner adjacent the various holes and apertures, after which theflow-directing member is inserted in the aperture. The gaskets are thenpositioned on'the sidewall of the pool, and the front and rear sectionsof the housing assembly are placed thereabout and secured with the boltsand nuts provided.

Thus, it can be seen that the present invention provides aflow-directing assembly which is relatively simple in construction andwhich requires relatively few parts, rendering it economical tomanufacture. The assembly provides highly effective seals, bothinternally about the flow passage therethrough and with the structureinwhich it is mounted, and the parts of the assembly are engageablewithout relative rotation thereof such as tends to cause crimping orwrinkling of the pool liner or gaskets adjacent thereto. The angularattitude of the flow passage through the flow-directing member can bereadily altered without-the need for disassembly or loosening of theelements of the assembly, and yet tight-fitting seals are maintainedtherein.

We claim:

l. A liquid flow-directing assembly comprising a housing having a socketportion defining a generally spherical chamber with opposed inlet andoutlet openings thereto; a generally spherical flow-directing memberseated in said chamber and having an axial passageway therethrough withan outlet end smaller than said outlet opening, said flow-directingmember being pivotable in said chamber to position said passagewaybetween said inlet and outlet openings in a multiplicity of angularattitudes relative to the axis between the centers of said inlet andoutlet openings to control the direction of flow of liquid through saidsocket portion; and an inherently resilient, substantially nonporousrubber gasket retained in said socket portion and projecting into saidchamber, said gasket having a circular aperture in which saidflow-directing member is seated, said aperture and flow directing memberbeing cooperatively dimensioned to provide snug seating of said memberduring operation of the assembly with the frictional contacttherebetween resulting from the inherent resiliency of said gasketoperating to restrain pivotal movement of said member and provide aneffective liquid seal therebetween.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly includes means disposedabout the periphery of said housing for engaging the sidewall of aswimming pool or like structure and for mounting said assembly in anaperture in the sidewall thereof.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said housing has a front sectionproviding said outlet opening for mounting on the inside of the sidewalland a rear section providing said inlet opening for mounting on theoutside of the sidewall, both of said sections having complementaryperipheral flanges for contact with opposite surfaces of the sidewallabout the aperture therein, and wherein a plurality of fastening membersextend axially through said flanges to mount said sections on thesidewall.

4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein a pair of gaskets are included andextend radially between said peripheral flanges at the points ofengagement thereof and are adapted to be disposed on opposite surfacesof the sidewall to form a seal thereabout.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein said peripheral flanges each havecircumferential bosses extending towards each other on the surfacesmountable adjacent the sidewall to provide'pressure points acting onsaid gaskets to enhance the effectiveness of the seal with sidewall.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the inlet end of said axialpassageway is larger than said outlet end and said inlet opening.

7. In a swimming pool assembly, a sidewall having an aperturetherethrough and a flow-directing assembly mounted on said sidewall insaid aperture, said flow-directing assembly comprising a housing havinga socket portion defining a generally spherical chamber with opposedinlet and outlet openings thereto, a generally spherical flow-directingmember seated in said chamber and having an axial passagewaytherethrough with an outlet end smaller than said outlet opening, saidflowaiirecting member being pivotable in said chamber to position saidpassageway between said inlet and outlet openings in a multiplicity ofangular attitudes relative to the axis between the centers of said inletand outlet openings to control the direction of flow of water throughsaid socket portion and into said swimming pool, an inherentlyresilient, substantially nonporous rubber gasket retained in said socketportion, projecting into said chamber, and having a circular aperture inwhich said flow-directing member is seated, and fastening means securingsaid flow-directing assembly on said sidewall, said aperture andflow-directing member being cooperatively dimensional and configured toprovide snug seating of said member during operation of the pool withthe frictional contact therebetween resulting from the inherentresiliency of said gasket operating to restrain pivotal movement of saidmember and provide an effective water seal therebetween, said frictionalcontact permitting pivoting of said flow-directing member into a desiredposition relative to the sidewall of the pool and holding of said memberin said position so as to direct the flow of water in a desired manner.

8. The swimming pool assembly of claim 7 wherein said housing has afront section providing said outlet opening mounted on the inside ofsaid sidewall and a rear section providing said inlet opening mounted onthe outside of said sidewall, both of said front andrear sections havingcomplementary peripheral flanges extending along the surfaces of saidsidewall about the aperture therein, said fastening means comprising aplurality of fastening members extending axially through said'flang'esand said sidewall to mount said sections on said sidewall.

9. The swimming pool of claim 8 wherein a gasket is provided on eachsurface of said sidewall and extends radially points acting on thegasket to enhance the effectiveness of the seal with said sidewall, andwherein the annular end of said axial passageway is larger than saidoutlet end and said inlet opening.

1. A liquid flow-directing assembly comprising a housing having a socketportion defining a generally spherical chamber with opposed inlet andoutlet openings thereto; a generally spherical flow-directing memberseated in said chamber and having an axial passageway therethrough withan outlet end smaller than said outlet opening, said flow-directingmember being pivotable in said chamber to position said passagewaybetween said inlet and outlet openings in a multiplicity of angularattitudes relative to the axis between the centers of said inlet andoutlet openings to control the direction of flow of liquid through saidsocket portion; and an inherently resilient, substantially nonporousrubber gasket retained in said socket portion and projecting into saidchamber, said gasket having a circular aperture in which saidflow-directing member is seated, said aperture and flow directing memberbeing cooperatively dimensioned to provide snug seating of said memberduring operation of the assembly with the frictional contacttherebetween resulting from the inherent resiliency of said gasketoperating to restrain pivotal movement of said member and provide aneffective liquid seal therebetween.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 whereinsaid assembly includes means disposed about the periphery of saidhousing for engaging the sidewall of a swimming pool or like structureand for mounting said assembly in an aperture in the sidewall thereof.3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said housing has a front sectionproviding said outlet opening for mounting on the inside of the sidewalland a rear section providing said inlet opening for mounting on theoutside of the sidewall, both of said sections having complementaryperipheral flanges for contact with opposite surfaces of the sidewallabout the aperture therein, and wherein a plurality of fastening membersextend axially through said flanges to mount said sections on thesidewall.
 4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein a pair of gaskets areincluded and extend radially between said peripheral flanges at thepoints of engagement thereof and are adapted to be disposed on oppositesurfaces of the sidewall to form a seal thereabout.
 5. The assembly ofclaim 4 wherein said peripheral flanges each have circumferential bossesextending towards each other on the surfaces mountable adjacent thesidewall to provide pressure points acting on said gaskets to enhancethe effectiveness of the seal with sidewall.
 6. The assembly of claim 1wherein the inlet end of said axial passageway is larger than saidoutlet end and said inlet opening.
 7. In a swimming pool assembly, asidewall having an aperture therethrough and a flow-directing assemblymounted on said sidewall in said aperture, said flow-directing assemblycomprising a housing Having a socket portion defining a generallyspherical chamber with opposed inlet and outlet openings thereto, agenerally spherical flow-directing member seated in said chamber andhaving an axial passageway therethrough with an outlet end smaller thansaid outlet opening, said flow-directing member being pivotable in saidchamber to position said passageway between said inlet and outletopenings in a multiplicity of angular attitudes relative to the axisbetween the centers of said inlet and outlet openings to control thedirection of flow of water through said socket portion and into saidswimming pool, an inherently resilient, substantially nonporous rubbergasket retained in said socket portion, projecting into said chamber,and having a circular aperture in which said flow-directing member isseated, and fastening means securing said flow-directing assembly onsaid sidewall, said aperture and flow-directing member beingcooperatively dimensional and configured to provide snug seating of saidmember during operation of the pool with the frictional contacttherebetween resulting from the inherent resiliency of said gasketoperating to restrain pivotal movement of said member and provide aneffective water seal therebetween, said frictional contact permittingpivoting of said flow-directing member into a desired position relativeto the sidewall of the pool and holding of said member in said positionso as to direct the flow of water in a desired manner.
 8. The swimmingpool assembly of claim 7 wherein said housing has a front sectionproviding said outlet opening mounted on the inside of said sidewall anda rear section providing said inlet opening mounted on the outside ofsaid sidewall, both of said front and rear sections having complementaryperipheral flanges extending along the surfaces of said sidewall aboutthe aperture therein, said fastening means comprising a plurality offastening members extending axially through said flanges and saidsidewall to mount said sections on said sidewall.
 9. The swimming poolof claim 8 wherein a gasket is provided on each surface of said sidewalland extends radially between said peripheral flange and sidewall at thepoints of engagement thereof to provide a seal about the aperture insaid sidewall, wherein said peripheral flanges have circumferentialbosses on their inner surfaces to provide pressure points acting on thegasket to enhance the effectiveness of the seal with said sidewall, andwherein the annular end of said axial passageway is larger than saidoutlet end and said inlet opening.